Whitmer to visit Norway, Switzerland in five-day investment trip
Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will spend five days in Norway and Switzerland next week on an "investment mission" aimed at attracting business investments to Michigan.
The tour will focus on auto manufacturing and clean energy investment possibilities, her office said Wednesday. She will stop in Oslo and Zurich for business meetings before heading to Davos to speak on a panel about manufacturing at the World Economic Forum annual meeting.
It is Whitmer's first economic development visit to Europe as governor, according to her office, and the first time a governor has visited Switzerland since 2016 and Norway "in recent history."
“The world is increasingly interconnected and it’s important for leaders in other countries to hear that Michigan is a key player on the global stage,” Whitmer said in a statement.
“We’re building something in Michigan that everyone should want to be a part of, and I will go anywhere and compete with everyone to bring jobs and investment back home. Let’s show the world what we have to offer, build on our leadership in cars, chips, and clean energy, and prove that the best manufacturing in the world happens right here in Michigan.”
Michigan Economic Development CEO Quentin Messer Jr. will join Whitmer in Norway. Multiple other Michigan governors have participated in World Economic Forum events, including former Governors John Engler and Rick Snyder, Republicans, and Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat.
The clean energy meetings will focus on hydrogen, a fuel that doesn't emit carbon dioxide when burned and can be made using renewable sources. Experts say it offers opportunities to rapidly decarbonize transportation in areas where batteries would be too heavy, such as long-haul trucking.
There is a large potential for Michigan business growth in Norway and Switzerland, Whitmer's office said. Michigan companies exported $895 million worth of goods and materials to the two countries between 2018 and 2021, they said. Transportation equipment is Michigan's top export to both countries.
Swiss and Norwegian companies have directly invested in eight projects in Michigan between 2018 and 2022, creating 161 jobs and generating $39.8 million in capital investment.
Whitmer has aimed to bolster the state's reputation as an auto manufacturing center as the industry transitions to electric vehicles, working with the Legislature to offer incentive packages to automakers, chipmakers and battery makers to locate facilities in Michigan.
Last year, General Motors Co. announced that it would invest $7 billion in facilities in Orion Township and Lansing; Ford Motor Co. said it would spend $2 billion in Michigan EV facilities; LG Energy Solution announced a $1.7 billion expansion at a battery plant in Holland; and battery companies Our Next Energy and Gotion Inc. announced $1.6 billion and $2.4 billion investments respectively.
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